India has reported its first confirmed case of Mpox (formerly known as Monkeypox).
The patient, a man who recently traveled from a country experiencing an outbreak, has tested positive for the infection, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.
The individual is currently stable and has been isolated in a medical facility. The infection has been identified as the 'Clade II' strain of the Monkeypox virus.
The ministry said that it is an isolated case, similar to the earlier 30 cases reported in India from July 2022 onwards.
It is not a part of the current public health emergency reported by WHO which is regarding clade 1 of mpox, it underlined.
"The individual, a young male who recently travelled from a country experiencing ongoing mpox transmission, is currently isolated at a designated tertiary care isolation facility. The patient remains clinically stable and is without any systemic illness or comorbidities," the ministry said.
The case aligns with earlier risk assessments and continues to be managed according to established protocols, it said, adding that public health measures, including contact tracing and monitoring, are actively in place to ensure the situation is contained.
"There is no indication of any widespread risk to the public at this time," the health ministry stated.
Centre advises states to screen, test all suspected cases
Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra advised states and union territories to screen and test all suspected Mpox cases in the community.
He also called for the orientation of all key stakeholders with a focus on surveillance units under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) at state and district levels to re-orient them on definitions of suspect, probable, confirmed cases, contact tracing and other surveillance activities.
In the letter, Chandra asked all states to make people aware of the mpox disease, its mode of spread, the need for timely reporting and taking preventive measures, besides reviewing the public health preparedness and isolation facilities for both suspect and confirmed cases.